"Dance with me?"

"Huh? ...I'm not good at dancing."

"I'll teach you."

"...I'll step on your toes."

"It's okay with me."

"Sorry...but I...don't like to dance."

"Oh, okay then."

"Yeah."

"Who are you looking for? Are you waiting for someone?"

"Oh, I'm not looking for anyone. :embarrassed laugh: I...just feel kind of uncomfortable here."

"I can tell...look, if you're not waiting for anyone, want to go get something to eat?"

"Aren't you hanging out with your friends?"

":shrugs: They'll understand."

"But.."

"I don't mind. Do you?"

"…"

"Do you?"

"…no…"

"Let's go. My car's parked on the curb."

"Where are we going? There's a Denny's nearby that we can walk over to."

"I know a better place. You'll love it...you still like sweets, right?"

"…yeah..."

"Okay, this is my car. Get in, and we'll head right over."

"..."

"Jini?"

"..."

"Why aren't you getting in? Is something wrong? Jini?"

"I'm getting in."

"What happened?"

"It's nothing."

"...you don't want to tell me, is that right?"

"There's nothing to tell you."

"God...alright then, I guess there's nothing to say. Let's just go."

"..."

"..."

"You still have that green froggy from Jenny?"

"Yeah...yeah."

"Oh, I see."

"...she's in college now."

"Oh-"

"She-"

"You go first."

"It's alright. Say what you were going to say."

"No...it isn't important anyway."

"...why can't you ever just tell me what you're going to say?"

"You don't want to hear it."

"How do you know that for sure?"

"..."

"..."

"Sorry. I'm just like that."

"No. You weren't like that before."

"...and you know all about me, don't you?"

"..."

"Okay, let's just forget we ever said anything, alright? I'm sorry."

"Me too."

"..."

"Okay, we're here."

"..."

"Jini?"

"I-I thought they took down this place years ago..."

"My uncle renovated this place half a year ago. He let me use it for tonight."

"..."

"..."

"I...thought...I would never come back here again."

"...c'mon, let's go in."

*sound of car doors opening and closing

"W-what's that?"

"What?"

"That."

"Oh...I dunno. We found it there the day..."

"..."

"Sorry."

"...it's okay..."

"Let's go in."

"My uncle's not done renovating the whole place yet, so be careful. There might still be some loose boards and nails around."

"Uhn."

"Wait. Just wait a moment here. I've got something to show you."

"What-oh, okay."

"Don't look! Just turn around."

"Um-okay, I'll try. *laugh"

"You have a pretty smile, Jini."

"MinJi…you're scaring me…"

"Oh-sorry."

"…"

"…"

"…MinJi?"

"Oh-yeah, I'm still getting it. Don't turn around."

"Um, okay."

"Okay, you can look now."

"..."

"What do you think?"

"I...it wasn't finished back then."

"It was only done a few days ago. We're the first guests besides the workers and my uncle to see it."

"It's...beautiful..."

"Do you like it?"

"...yes."

"This is the only room finished so far, so we're eating here. You're fine with that, right?"

"Yeah...I love-loved-it here, remember?"

"...yeah..."

"I never thought I would see this place again..."

"You..."

"...?"

"Forget it. It's nothing."

"..."

"Here, let me go get you the food I promised."

"Okay."

"…"

"…I wonder if he needs help…"

*sound of door sliding open

"MinJi? Do you need help?"

*no reply

"MinJi?"

"..."

"This...did you make this?"

"Jini...this is for you."

"MinJi...thank you...but why for me?"

"Jini...I'm so sorry for everything."

"MinJi? Are you crying? What are you sorry for? I'm the one who's sorry."

"Jini...I hate everything. I hate the fake lives that our parents forced us to choose. I'm sorry for everything that happened between us...everything that happened...and I'm sorry that I broke you."

"MinJi...shut up. Nothing happened to either of us..."

"Jini, I hate them! We...were so happy. Why...did they have to-"

"DON'T SAY IT!"

"Jini, listen to me!"

"Listen to me, Choi MinJi! Nothing happened and there's nothing for you to be sorry about. Nothing at all."

"Jini...you loved him...don't you remember? But I love you...too."

"Stop it. I-I have to go now."

"Jini...listen to me."

"There's nothing to say."

"Jini!"

"What do you want me to say, MinJi? That I'm sorry for everything? That I forgive you? You're not the one who was wrong in the first place!"

"Jini-"

"I know what you want to say. You want to pin the blame on yourself and you want to help me become the person I was before. People change, MinJi! Stop acting like your apology will save the world, because it doesn't change anything at all!"

"I have to try, Jini. I owe him that much at least."

"MinJi, you don't know everything. You don't know the whole truth...that's why you keep thinking these foolish thoughts! I'm the one who caused everything, so don't ask me for forgiveness. If I can't forgive myself, then I can't forgive anyone else."

"It's fine...just don't ignore me anymore. But Jini, can you see? Can you see that I'm MinJi and I'm still here? I'm still waiting, Jini."

"Just stay out of my way, Choi MinJi. I'm not the six year old girl who dreamed of marrying you anymore. I'm not that naïve anymore. If I need help, I know to ask for it. But right now, this is something I need to deal with myself."

"Jini...okay, fine. I can't win against you. I'm going to trust you, but can you trust me? Answer me that at least. I want to know...what I am to you anymore."

"You're Choi MinJi. Always Choi MinJi. Not the best boy ever, but you're always the one who's most familiar. We belong to each other, if not together."

"...and you're Kim Jini. Always Jini. Brave and big-hearted, but still foolish. You're the one I always come back to, if no one else."

"Right."

"I got you, Jini."

"You always have."

"You're wrong. You were never mine."

"MinJi…just stop. I don't want to argue with you anymore."

"…"

"MinJi, please."

"I'll go get the car. You wait outside."

*sound of door opening and shuffling

"…thank you, Choi MinJi…"

*sound of engine rumbling*

"Jini?"

"Yeah, I'm getting in."

"…Jini?"

"Yeah?"

"Do…do you ever miss…you know, our old lives?"

"What's there to miss?"

"…you're right…there's nothing…nothing to miss."

"…"

"Choi MinJi, you don't know what you are to me, do you?"

"…"

"You're my best friend. You're…"

"You don't have to go on anymore. I know, I know."

"I love you."

"Yeah, whatev-wait, you do?"

"It's true."

"Then…why don't you ever talk to me? Why have you pretended nothing's wrong all these years? Why can't we talk about his death?"

"Choi MinJi."

"Kim Jini."

"I'm never going to understand why, am I?"

"I'm sorry."

"No, I'm sorry. It's just-you…to me, you…forget it. You're important, Kim Jini. Don't you forget that."

"I-"

"Yeah, yeah. Now go home, unless you want to…"

"Want to what?"

"Never mind."

"Ei, Choi Jini."

"What did you just call me-"

*chu

"Choi Jini has a nice ring to it."

"MinJi…you're a real bastard."

"But loveable still, right?"

"I-Omo, what am I doing?"

"Jini?"

"MinJi, I'm sorry…but stay away from me! I want nothing to do with you. Didn't I make that clear?"

"What? Jini-"

"You're lower than crap to me, Choi MinJi. I may have said that I…care…for you a lot, but he's still the one in my heart. Not you."

"Kim Jini…do you know what you're saying?"

"I'm leaving. Don't talk to me. Don't call me. Don't come to me."

"Jini-"

*sound of car door slamming

"Goddamn."

*sound of running, then door being opened and closed

"Choi MinJi..saranghaeyo."

When I was six years old, I had my first kiss. I remember going to school, all excited and happy, but the rest of what happened was a blur.

All I remember is that I borrowed glue from a boy named Choi MinJi, and as payment, he stole my first kiss.

He's always been a jerk.

Today, it feels like the same thing happened again. I went to the dance at school with my friends, but I don't even know why I went. I don't even like to dance. But I went anyway, and when my friends were all off dancing, MinJi suddenly came up to talk to me.

I don't know why, but I accepted his offer when he asked me to go with him. I remember his sister used to be the one that drove us to places. When he asked me, it seemed reminiscent of those days, the sweet shop days.

That was where I met my fiancée, Alex. Alex Horan. He never broke my heart, and I always felt so in love with him. But then he died in a car accident on my sixteenth birthday. I'm not crying over him anymore, but on days when I'm mopey and sad, I can't help but think of him and my heart aches.

But that's only to be expected. Even my mom still thinks of him sometimes and says, "Poor Jini. If Alex had lived, then our happiness would be complete."

Alex was my fiancée. I loved him very much. But before he came along, I loved Choi MinJi. And perhaps, just perhaps, I loved Choi MinJi even as I was in love with Alex Horan.

Perhaps.

My life's been different since Alex died. But it's been different since the day I met Choi MinJi. If he hadn't appeared in my life, I would never have had such happy memories at the sweet shop. I would never have loved Choi MinJi. I would never have met Alex Horan. I would never have felt love this way.

I would never be sad, never cry.

I don't cry over Alex Horan anymore, but I'm still crying for Choi MinJi.